Why is this forum not under Programming?

Sure, web design is part of "Visual Media", but if any of you try to say that web development is part of "Visual Media" then you're out to lunch. There is quite a large difference between web development and web design. Sure you need both for a website to be useable, but there's always some sort of programming involved. Web development, in a lot of cases, requires a large backend implementation. I don't understand how developing any kind of website that requires user interaction can be considered "Visual Media". It's not  at all.

This forum should be under programming, as developing a website in todays world requires a nice UI, but more importantly (in a lot of cases) a sophisticated backend implementation that handles all of the important data. Save for a static website, every other website needs a backend, and how that is not considered programming is beyond me.

I could go on all day. Want a members only section? Want a contact form? Want a private messaging system? Want an admin panel? Want a UI to be able to edit or add posts to a blog? Want comments? Want to store data in a database? Needs a backend. Therefore, it needs "Programming".

Many things require "programming" today, I think it makes more sense to group the forums under the goals or deliverables of software development.

People who code back-end web systems do so to deliver visual media. They utilize different languages and techniques, and work under different sets of expectations, than those who are doing other types of development. I do not see there being a great deal of overlap. I would have no expectation that someone who writes low-level device drivers in C++ would have any interest or knowledge in working in Ruby or tinkering with Javascript. All of these are "programming" tasks but they have very different goals, different practitioners, and different audiences.

That said, much of the "programming" the OP has listed I would actually categorize under scripting: coding in languages like javascript, and PHP that tie applications together. There is a distinction between those and the more "complete" languages, although this is beginning to disappear.

I could go on all day. Want a members only section? Want a contact form? Want a private messaging system? Want an admin panel? Want a UI to be able to edit or add posts to a blog? Want comments? Want to store data in a database? Needs a backend. Therefore, it needs "Programming".

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Yes, all these things need a backend, but that does not mean that programming is required for implementation... most CMSs like drupal and wordpress give you these features after setting a few pulldown and radio buttons, no custom coding required.

A good web page is all having a good user interface. So in that light it seems to me the best "user interface" for web development is to have it's own section. It is a fairly defined and unique skill set. This is especially true when the same people are responsible for both the back end components as well as the design, which is often true when a web site is run by just one or two in-house people in a company or school. Unless your doing a large complicated data driven site the programming components are not particularly large. Besides, you can always ask specific questions in any forum.

A good web page is all having a good user interface. So in that light it seems to me the best "user interface" for web development is to have it's own section. It is a fairly defined and unique skill set. This is especially true when the same people are responsible for both the back end components as well as the design, which is often true when a web site is run by just one or two in-house people in a company or school. Unless your doing a large complicated data driven site the programming components are not particularly large. Besides, you can always ask specific questions in any forum.

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And an iOS app shouldn't have a good UI? What about an app for the Mac?

Visual Media is a high level classification that describes what may be involved both programmatically and as services to the client in context to content on the world wide web. There may be a better or worse description or label, no doubt, but putting all this in one box named "Programming" is completely amiss as to what web developers and designers actually may be enlisted to do on typical jobs these days.

In fact, it's a no brainer. On the verge of insulting, and I speak professionally.

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